Diagnosis. Male characterised by the combination of a yellowish-orange collar, an oblique metallic fascia and a white hair-pencil. E. spiraeae is very similar, but has almost no metallic fascia and is usually smaller. Male genitalia characterised by the shape of the valva, with sinuous inner margin. Female separated from agrimoniae, atricollis and arcuatella by light collar, E. mahalabella is very similar, but usually smaller and with very different signa.
Description. Male. Forewing length (excluding specimens reared from Filipendula) 2.2— 2.8 mm (2.56 ± 0,18, 21), wingspan 5.2 — 6.6 mm. Including Filipendula specimens: forewing length 1.92—2.8 (2.47 ± 0.25, 25), wingspan 4.4 — 6.6 mm. Head: frontal tuft and collar pale ochreous to ferruginous, usually lighter than in atricollis; collar often slightly lighter. Antennae with 29—35 segments (32.2 ± 1.6, 18). Thorax and forewings fuscous black, with a medial, oblique, shining metallic silver fascia, rarely interrupted in middle. Underside of forewing with small scaleless area. Hindwing with white hair-pencil and a few dark scales along costa.
Female. Forewing length (excluding specimens reared from Filipendula) 2.04 — 2.68 mm (2.52 ± 0,18, 12), wingspan 4.7—6.1 mm. Including Filipendula specimens: forewing length 1.92—2.68 (2.40 ± 0.26, 16), wingspan 4.5—6.1 mm. Antennae with 25 — 29 segments (27.1 ± 1.0,13).
Male genitalia. Capsule length 210—257 µm (241.0 ± 16.6, 9). Tegumen distinctly produced into truncate pseuduncus. Gnathos with central element divided, distal part spatulate, basal part with serrate margin. Valva length 159 — 193 µm (175.3 ± 11.6, 11), inner margin sinuous, forming a slight, but distinct rounded bulge in distal half, so that inner margin forms a right angle with pointed tip. Aedeagus 214—274 µm (250.1 ± 18.3, 11), slightly constricted beyond middle, carinae single or bifid, not sharply pointed, with many small spines at base.
Female genitalia. T7 without setae in a row. T8 with two lateral patches with many scales and about 4 — 8 setae; anal papillae with 5 — 9 setae. Vestibulum with a vaginal sclerite and a "spiculate" pouch without spines. Corpus bursae 400 — 570 µm, almost completely covered with pectinations; signa dissimilar, longest 249—381 µm (326.1 ± 38.0, 10), shortest 227—356 µm (289.5 ± 37.1, 9), 3.3— 4.6 x as long as wide. Ductus spermathecae with 2 ½ — 3 convolutions.
Larva. Greenish white, with distinct ganglia. Head-capsule and prothoracic plate dark brown. In 2nd and 3rd instar with chain of dark brown ventral plates.
Hostplants: Rosa species, Sanguisorba minor Scop., S. officinalis L., Filipendula vulgaris Moench. On the last host only found in Hungary (Van Nieukerken 1985), and commonly on the islands of Öland and Gotland, Sweden, where it occurs sympatrically on Rosa (Bengtsson et al. 2008). Mine. Egg on leaf-underside. Early mine highly contorted gallery filled with brown, contorted frass; later widening into large irregular blotch or wide gallery with irregular dispersed black frass.
Widespread in Europe, from southern Scandinavia to Greece. Not yet recorded from Ireland, Iberian Peninsula and central Balkan.
Bulgaria: Buszko and Beshkov 2004. A record for Siberia (Dovnar-Zapol'skij and Tomilova 1978; Sinev 2008) is based on leafmines only, and highly unlikely, given the fact that the species has not been found in Russia at all.
Life history. Univoltine, larvae in autumn, occasionally from July, to November. Adults from June to August.
This taxonomic description is based on Van Nieukerken (1985) and Van Nieukerken et al (2010).